Chapter 29

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Capricorn
Chapter 29

Capricorn as Employer
A typical Capricorn boss (male or female):

* doesn't give perks but responds when people are in need
* takes responsibilities very seriously but may neglect personal needs
* dresses conservatively and is well organized
* can keep complex operations moving smoothly

*

As Adena and Craig stopped in front of her door, she took a deep breath as she inserted the key into the first lock, then the second, and silently prayed that she didn't leave out anything embarrassing like panties, tampons, or dirty laundry. She pushed the door open, turned on the light, and turned off the alarm system. Once it was clear, Craig closed the door and noticed a few paint cans and supplies sitting by the door. Adena saw him eye them.

"You're gonna paint the spot?" he asked her before she could apologize for them being in the way.

"Just the door. I want a masterpiece just like Basquiat's on the door."

"He painted doors too?" he asked inquisitively.

"In a sense, when he was dead broke he would find unhinged doors and furniture on the side of the roads and in dumpsters because he couldn't afford canvases and of course, they were a work of art. That's how he got his start" she said as she led him into the apartment, canvasing to see if there was a mess she needed to clean. Seemed all clear. "I just gotta paint it back to a neutral color when I move but I am not doing that any time soon," she said as they put their Dragon City bags on the marble counter that separated the kitchen from the living room.

"Shiiiit" Craig said as he walked right to her floor-to-ceiling windows. "Look at this view! I wouldn't move anytime soon either" he said with a nod, "This is really nice. Look at you, you literally got a deluxe apartment in the sky."

Adena smiled as she stood next to him and looked out at the view, "I guess I did move on up to the East Side huh?" and winked at him. She smiled now knowing he was raised on The Jefferson's reruns like she did when she was little. "Here lemme take your coat," she said and helped him out of his. She turned around and he did the same for her, she walked back to the front door and hung them up. She kicked off her heels and sighed. Whoever invented heels needed to be fired. She turned on the fireplace as Craig got the food together.

"Where's your bathroom?" he asked her and she pointed to the opened door down the hall. When he emerged slowly as she made her plate, he couldn't help but smile wide as he looked around. This was a good thing. The only good thing about her leaving him on the side of the road that night was that it led her to find a place like this. She deserved it. He was proud of her. Really proud of her. "The bathroom's even nice. This is much nicer than my place" he said as he loosened his tie and picked up his full plate.

"Oh hush, your place is nice too," she said as she opened the refrigerator. Hmmm, water or wine?

"Don't even lie to me like that" Craig said with a smile. He then faked a cough, "I may just catch the flu and crash here for a couple of weeks."

Adena chuckled as she took both bottles out of the fridge and set them on the counter. "Very funny," she said. "You on the run too? Who you running from?"

Craig smiled as he cracked open the wine. "I have no reason to run. Not anymore." They both fell silent as he poured his glass of wine until he handed it to her. "Wine?"

She sobered up after the interesting night they had so what's another glass? She took it. "Thanks. Um sorry, I don't have a full dining room as of yet. I just eat on the couch or at the office."

"That's fine," he said. They walked over and sat down and he noticed an open box and various pieces and parts in a small pile in the middle of the room. "What happened there?"

Adena laughed as she put her plate on her lap. "I tried to put my coffee table together but then I gave up. It was too hard. I think I'll just take it back, maybe hit up a thrift store."

"I can help if you want."

She smiled at him. They stared at the view and caught up. She told him about what she did after she left and what's been going on at the gallery since she came back. He talked about random parties he worked at. His life didn't change much since she left but at the same time, it really did change when she left. "I'm glad that you're happy now. You are, aren't you?" he asked her.

"I think so. Or at least content" she said, "But that's better than what I was" she said as she finished her food. She took their plates and threw them out, she picked up the bottle of wine and brought it back over. She found Craig sitting on the floor looking through the box. "Craig we don't have to do that now," she said as he pulled out a piece of paper.

"Nah it looks easy enough, it won't take long at all," he said as he looked at the instructions and then rolled up his sleeves.

"That's what I said," she said with a sigh, "I fussed around with that thing for an hour and gave up. I almost threw that box out the window," she said.

"What? Sweet little Adena? Having a temper?" he asked and he winked. She rolled her eyes at him playfully as she sat back on the couch and took a sip of her wine. He saw it firsthand the last time he saw her. He had flashbacks of that failed party every day still, especially the altercation in the hallway. Felicia acts a fool and Adena slaps her in the face. It was shocking but the more he played that situation over and over in his head, the more it turned him on.

No, he didn't get turned on when women were fighting over him or being ratchet. It turned him on when women talked shit. When women were confident and let someone know they weren't the one. When women took matters into their own hands and gave whoever what they deserved. Felicia definitely deserved it.

He was able to get one of the legs together as Adena sat on the floor next to him. She then grabbed his hand, "I'm sorry."

"Adena it's fine, I should be done pretty soon-"

"No not that."

"For what?" he asked her.

"For...everything. The last time I saw you...we were arguing in the street."

"That night was rough Adena, I understand. You got a surprise party you didn't want. And then Tracey and Felicia..." he stopped, "You didn't deserve that. It was a bad day for you and I'm sorry."

"But it was the thought that counted. And I didn't even thank you for it."

"I don't want you to thank me for it now...it was terrible," he said. "Oddly, it became an obsession for some reason. Maybe knowing everything you've been through, how you didn't feel wanted or celebrated when that was all I wanted for you...but then it turned into something else. It became more about me, how I wanted things, trying to impress you, trying to fix everything, to make up for..." he stopped.

Yeah, he should stop there.

"Make up for what?" she asked him as she took a big fluffy purple blanket off the couch and threw it across both of their laps. He paused as he moved a few pieces out of the way. "Well if you don't want to that's fine, I get what you're saying."

"No," he said with a sigh as he scooted closer to her and leaned his head back on the couch, "You know I was never a birthday person either. Like I thought they were corny. I didn't like the corny parties and balloons, the cakes, and the waiters singing to you at restaurants. The attention. I was trying to be hard. Thugs didn't have birthday parties. But things changed..." he trailed off. She waited for him to say more. "Remember how I told you that you reminded me of my little sisters?" he asked her. "But not like that."

She nodded and smiled, "Yeah."

"You do. I don't know why. You kinda look like them a little but you all have the same energy I guess, the demeanor. I have two...well had two. One living in the Hamptons, she wanted to get out of this city and she did what she said she was going to do. The other is no longer here."

"I'm sorry," Adena said as she squeezed his hand.

He took a deep breath, should he even go there? However, before he could overthink it, he started to let it all out. "Her name was Amanda. She died in 2018. In a car accident," he said. Adena squeezed his hand and pouted. "She was a joy. She was only 8 then...she was my little angel. She loved birthdays. I gave her two surprise parties...she made me see that birthdays are actually very special. It's not about cake and presents. It was a celebration of life. Her birthday would have been a few days ago actually. After her death, I don't know...I've been a birthday fanatic. I didn't know her 8th birthday would be her last one, I didn't know that I could never celebrate her birthday with her ever again. I would give everything I have to have her here, smiling, getting high off the sugar. I think that's why I was so adamant on making you forget your birthday from last year, forget the memories and just have you celebrate because you never know which one is your last."

Adena nodded, "I'm so sorry Craig."

"I'm not blaming you," he said sadly as tears came to his eyes, "It's my fault."

"No it's not," she said.

"No, it is. We went to Long Island, to the beach, she wanted to see Big Sis. I had promised her for weeks and something always came up. Finally, we were able. I didn't notice that she didn't have her seatbelt on, she must have taken it off while I was driving, it had started to rain hard, that's why we left early. I was driving...we got in an accident...and she didn't survive..." he said as he looked down at the floor. Before he knew it, tears flowed. A tear even fell into his empty glass.

"Oh no Craig" Adena said as she squeezed his hand. She reached over and tapped on his chin so he would look at her. Seeing his tears made her tear up, "It's not your fault. It was an accident."

"I could have prevented it," he said as he stood up and wiped his tears, shaking it off, pacing angrily. Shit, they were doing so well and now he's making her cry. He stopped and looked at the view, "This car came out of nowhere...I was in shock for a few seconds...I froze. That's never happened before. I couldn't do a thing and I swerved out of the way, but it was too late, then the car hit her side...if I had done something in those few seconds..."

"Craig, stop it. It's not your fault" Adena said sternly as she walked up to him. He was looking at the view. She came up behind him and hugged him. Her arms wrapped around his belt, and she rested her head against his back. "It's NOT your fault. It was an accident. She knew that too. You're not to blame. You tried your best...you tried your best" she said calmly to him. Tears fell down her face and onto the back of his shirt but it didn't matter now. She just wanted to let him know. She had to because he wasn't over it and by the looks of it never talked about it. "Your family surely doesn't blame you."

He chuckled sarcastically. "If they did, thankfully I wouldn't know. I know I broke my sister's heart because we practically lost everything in a short amount of time and this was another blow. She was angry, she was mad at me, I could tell. It was the last straw for her. As soon as she could, she got away from the city, away from me. I don't know what the rest of them would think, to be honest. I hoped they wouldn't. Sadly, I'll never know. I went to Amanda's grave on her would-be birthday and they were all there waiting for me. Amanda's buried next to my grandmother, who's buried next to my mother...and my mom is finally reunited with dad. She's buried right next to him. I was all Amanda had left, besides Beverly, and I let her down." 

He felt Adena hold him closer when he said that, she grabbed both of his hands and held them. He heard her apologize over and over and say it was ok. He was glad she couldn't see his face. The tears wouldn't stop. No one knows the full story. Only his other sister, Beverly. They stood there in an embrace for a while, who even knows how long, he took a few deep breaths then he pulled away. He turned around and faced her, she reached up and wiped his face.

"I'm sorry. That damn open bar. I think I snuck a little too much" he said. "I don't know why or where all that came from."

"You needed to talk about it obviously. You've kept it bottled up?" she asked him. He shrugged. He told Ron about it but not all the details that he had told her. He had told no one. He kinda felt better, but he missed Amanda. He missed his Mom, Grandma, and Dad. If his Dad was still here, they all would be here too. "I kinda feel your pain, you know?" she said. He looked down at her. "I wish I had siblings. I'm an only child" she said, she took his hand and led him back to the couch and they both collapsed on it, emotionally exhausted. "I lost a sister too, and a brother, but I never got to meet them," she said sadly as she poured him some wine.

"Wow. I'm sorry, what happened?"

"My mom miscarried, twice, both times she made it through but they didn't. The first time, I was in 6th grade. I was 11. I was so excited. I waited so long for a sibling. I remember the baby shower, and all the presents Mom got. They cut the cake and on the inside, it was blue and creamy and that was the reveal. I was gonna get a little brother. We were so happy. Especially Dad. He would have been a Jr. Named after Dad. We had the bluest nursery you have ever seen. One night, I woke up to Mom crying. Bad contractions. Grandma came to take care of me and they left to go to the hospital. I didn't know how much pain she was in. I stayed up as long as I could but I passed out. I was sure that when I woke up, he would be here. My Grandma woke me up and said let's go to the hospital. I never got ready so fast. In hindsight, she already knew, she wasn't excited at all. I just thought she was tired. I got there and...Mom and Dad told me what happened. He was stillborn. They got to take a picture with him, which I thought was insane. Hospital procedure or something? I didn't want to look at it. I never got to see him or meet him. His tiny casket...was closed" Adena said as tears rolled down her face. "It was easier for Mom and Dad to stare at a little box for 2 hours, not see his face. That's when I first started taking art and taking it seriously. I imagined what he would look like, I used to draw little portraits of what his face could've been like."

"Do you still have them?" he asked her. They were facing each other on the couch, the blanket covering both of their laps.

"They're in storage. They started getting harder and harder to look at but that was my therapy. Art therapy. When I started high school, Mom got pregnant again. We were all happy and excited again. You think we would be more cautious? No. We went overboard. Big shower, big pink nursery. This one was special for me because I thought I would have a little mini-me. She came a few months too early. Very premature, only a pound, but still stillborn. That messed us up. The whole family, it really did. Mom and Dad fought. They almost divorced. I'm just trying to keep my perfect grades and deal with it all. I had to be the perfect child because they already were dealing with so much. I kept myself busy by being in every club in the school. Dance team, debate team, homecoming committee. Grandma was the glue that held us together. I don't know what's worse. Having met them and losing them or wanting to meet them and never having the chance. I never got the chance. After that, my Mom stopped trying and they continued to focus on me. Hard" she said with a sigh. Craig grabbed her hand.

"None of them is worse than the other. They're both just as bad, in different ways. I feel your pain." They sat in silence for a little. "Have you talked to your parents?" he asked her, trying to lighten things up. Who knew that Chinese food would turn into a therapy session they had a lot of stuff to catch up on, and still to learn about each other.

"Yeah. We had a coming to Jesus. I apologized about what had happened, they bought me this couch and that frustrating table and some other stuff" she said. She smiled at him, "My mother said thank you."

"To me? For what?"

"For 'taking care of me.' For throwing me a party and everything. She said that she could tell that you just wanted to make me happy" she admitted. "I was shocked as hell that they were there. How did you find them?"

He laughed, "I didn't know who they were when they walked in. Supposedly Tito invited them."

"You refuse to say his name huh?"

"I'm not saying his name," he said flippantly as he took a sip of his wine, his pinky extended. He wishes he got the chance to knock him out one time as Adena did to Felicia but it's better that it didn't. She laughed, shaking her head. "Then officially meeting him and learning everything. I'm so sorry."

Adena took a hold of his hand.

"I missed you, Adena."

"I missed you. I'm sorry. I...wanted to call so many times but I didn't know what to say."

"It's fine. We're talking now. We've been talking a lot, we have definitely learned some things about each other?" he asked her. She nodded. During their conversation, slowly they scooted closer and closer to each other. He leaned forward and looked into her pretty brown eyes. "Is this the last time I'm gonna see you? Are you going to run away again?"

She shook her head adamantly, leaning close to him, "No Craig...at least not from you" she said.

"Good," he said, "Ron asks about you and Missy replaced you as our new surprise roommate. She and Ron are fucking now."

"Oh, God! That sneaky slut!" Adena said with a laugh. "Why didn't she tell me?" she asked incredulously. She then answered her question, anything and anyone dealing with Craig was a sensitive subject before tonight and she withheld it to spare her. "But they're perfect for each other actually. I've been spending most of my time with her if not at the gallery. So who's the best roommate, me or her?"

"You, of course, she makes a mess," he said with a laugh. "I gotta wear my headphones all night whenever she comes over. They're so loud. I'm tempted to get them a room because I've been losing sleep."

Adena laughed, "Poor baby...I actually thought that you liked her. I thought you two were secretly talking behind my back but it turns out you were just planning my surprise party."

Craig laughed, "Wow. Yeah that's it. She's Ron's now. Anyways, I like someone else," he said.

"Really?" she asked him and he nodded. Both of their hearts fluttered.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked her. He wanted to ask her that for so long. "Since I like you and all," he said to her. She nodded. She missed him and thought about their first kiss all the time. Now they were doing their second. He cupped her chin and leaned in. It was sweet and to the point. He didn't want to go too far. But he wanted to get his point across that he wanted to see more of her.

He actually wanted more, he wanted to be with her but would wait until she was ready. They smooched now and then, finished the bottle, talked, and eventually watched the sunrise. They fell asleep on her couch, cuddled under the blanket, holding hands.

*

Younger Capricorns need to be taught about being sensitive to other people's feelings and to have an understanding of other people's difficulties.

*

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